March 17th, 2015, 10:28 am ·

· posted by BILL PLUNKETT

After 3 ½ years as a full-time dad, Tony Reagins is going back to work.

The former Angels general manager has been named to a newly-created position as Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for youth programs. Reagins will be responsible for overseeing MLB’s outreach to youth organizations and efforts to increase participation at all amateur levels.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” Reagins said. “It’s basically trying to grow the game at the grass-roots level. Participation (in amateur baseball programs) is down at all levels so this is going to be trying to get more participation at the youth levels, from grade school to college. It’s pretty important to the commissioner, one of his chief initiatives.”

In announcing the hire, new commissioner Rob Manfred said he believes Reagins will be an effective “bridge between the commissioner’s office and … youth baseball programs.”

“Tony’s experience as a general manager and as a farm director will be a great asset as Major League Baseball sets out to bring more people into our game at all levels and from all communities,” Manfred said in a press release.

Reagins, 48, spent six seasons as the Angels’ director of player development before being named the team’s GM in October 2007, replacing Bill Stoneman. At the time, Reagins was just the fourth African-American to hold a GM position with a major-league team. He spent four seasons as GM during which the Angels won two AL West division titles and reached the 2009 American League Championship Series.

He was dismissed following the 2011 season and had spent his time since then “watching my kids grow up” as well as working with the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Reagins and his wife, Colleen, have a daughter, Kennedy, and two sons, Luke and Seth, ranging in age from four to nine. A lifelong California resident and graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, Reagins and his family will be relocating cross country to work out of MLB’s offices in New York.

“There were opportunities to get back in (to baseball) but I wanted to get back into the right situation with the right people. I wasn’t going to jump back in just to get back in,” Reagins said. “This is an opportunity to work on something that has always been important to me. It’s definitely a different challenge than putting together a baseball team.”

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